Clutch win secures March Madness berth. UCF battles for a tournament bid, potentially facing ACC rivals Miami or Clemson.
Wednesday's first-round matchup against Cincinnati carried a bit more weight than your typical Big 12 Tournament game, as both the Knights and Bearcats were on the bubble for a March Madness Bid.
Prior to the game, UCF (21-11) was listed as one of the last teams in while Cincinnati was one of the first four teams out. With the Knights' 66-65 victory, they essentially sured up their return to the Big Dance for the first time in six seasons.
UCF joins Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech, Brigham Young University (BYU) and Texas Christian University (TCU) as one of eight Big 12 teams projected to be firmly in the field.
Current projections have UCF as a ten-seed, according to both ESPN and CBS Sports.
UCF vs Miami
On the ESPN side, the Knights are slated to face off with the 7-seeded Miami Hurricanes, which would mark the two in-state rivals' first matchup since 2022.
The Hurricanes have had a complete turnaround under first-year coach Jai Lucas, who has led Miami to a 25-7 record on the season. Last year, Miami won just seven games all season, losing longtime head coach Jim Larrañaga mid-season after his decision to step down from the program.
Lucas led the Canes to a second-place finish in the ACC regular season before knocking off No. 24 Louisville Thursday in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
Miami faces off with No. 10 Virginia Friday at 7:00 p.m. as the Canes look to continue a remarkable season.
UCF vs Clemson
According to CBS, the Knights would also draw an ACC opponent, this time projected to face the Clemson Tigers. Clemson has accumulated a 24-9 record, finishing fifth in the ACC with a 12-6 mark in conference play.
Thursday night, the Tigers escaped with a one-point victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, setting them up for a date with the No. 1 team in the country, the Duke Blue Devils.
Clemson looks to knock off the No.1-seeded Blue Devils on Friday at 9:30 p.m.
The Knights managed to overcome their three-game skid to end the season and likely secure an at-large bid to March Madness for the first time since 2019. However, dropping to the 10-seed may actually be a blessing for UCF, as the 8/9 matchup is usually one of the most difficult games to win.
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